The Legend of Zelda: Dawn of the Midnight Moon
by Phoenix Skyone
Summary: I can't really write a summary; there's so much going on in this story. Please read! ~Phoenix
1. Bloodshed

After releasing his kingdom from the evils that lurked within its temples, the Hero of Time crept back into the shadows of the forest, where he remained for many months. He enjoyed the softness of the sacred wood and the elves that surrounded him, without the worries that had plagued him before he had saved his land. And so, very slowly, the normal way of life was beginning to creep back into the years of the people of Hyrule. It seemed eternal; this tranquillity; but it would be only a matter of time until darkness moved stealthily back into the kingdom, and with it bringing down the free peoples of the Nine Realms.  
  
The Hero of Time, basking in his joy, had almost forgotten about the princess whom had saved his life all of those years ago. She was the princess whom had given him a push out of the door; the princess whom had given him the courage to fight the land's evil; the princess whom he had once loved. The princess, whose name rung like the sound of a thousand glimmering wind-chimes in his ear: Zelda.  
  
But the girl had been nearly erased from Link's memory, and he stayed where he was in the Lost Woods. It was not until Midsummer's Day when Link realised that he was faced with yet another quest, which thankfully required the help of the fair princess from his past.  
  
The sound of shouts awoke the hero from his sleep. He swiftly arose from his small Kokirish bed and looked out the window to see where the screams were coming from. For a moment Link yawned, then he undid the curtains and peered out of the forest glass that covered the casement. What he saw was enough to make one's blood run cold. The dead corpses of numerous Kokiri Children he had known and loved lay on the ground with swords or arrows through their hearts. Invaders have been here, Link told himself. He climbed down his ladder as fast as he could, only to find more agony and destruction.  
  
Saria, the Sage of the Forest and Link's greatest friend, rested on the ground, blood trickling down her chest. She had been pierced through the shoulder, and slashed lightly across the cheeks. Link kneeled over Saria and touched her forehead, her nose, and her lips, whispering a prayer to the goddesses for her soul. He then bent over her arm and checked her failing pulse, only discovering the horror that invaders had murdered his greatest companion. Link fell to the ground and wept over the loss of the best young girl he had ever come to know.  
  
Link lifted himself from his sorrow and searched for survivors in the area. There was one boy named Mido, hiding timidly in his home, but no one else could be seen, from what Link knew. He took Mido mournfully out of his house and explained that Saria had been killed, and that no one was left alive but the two of them. Mido then opened his mouth to speak, as if he knew something about the killers, but then he closed it promptly and said that he was sworn not to tell who had killed all of the children. It was, as he said, a secret that only a sage could utter.  
  
'Well,' said Link after a while of discussing, 'I am going to Hyrule Castle to tell the guards of what has happened. If you want to, you can accompany me, but I must warn you that Hyrule Field is not the best place for a Kokirish Child. There are certain things.things which I must not speak of.that could easily take your life. But it is a risk I am willing to take.'  
  
'I will come,' said Mido urgently. 'Just let me say a last farewell to my friends.'  
  
Link watched as Mido paced over to Saria's body and knelt down beside it. He was examining her from head to toe: her dark green hair, her pale skin, and her pure, untouched beauty. But Mido then looked to Saria's hands, and noticed that a piece of very old papyrus was wrinkled into her tightened fingers. He slowly took it out, read it, and let out a shriek.  
  
'Link! Come and take a look at this!'  
  
Link walked swiftly over to Mido as he excitedly handed his friend the paper. The hero's eyes wandered down the parchment, widening as he read with great interest. Something was happening, a new adventure was beginning; for this letter-this mere thesis-was giving all the clues as to who executed the Kokiri Children. It read, in an Ancient Tongue of Hyrule:  
  
The account of the Sovereign of Sheikah, Ëinar son of Galadar, is as follows: Beyond the village graveyard lays the hidden entrance to the Shadow Temple, a monument built by my father with the blood and bones of the realm's evil dead. The temple is a labyrinth of illusions and puzzles, each designed to add another resident to its already overflowing crypts. Only the fair maiden, princess by day but dark queen in her sleep, who is the heir to the Throne of the Dead, may unleash the evil of the shadowy madness below the surface of the unhallowed ground. Ëinar son of Galadar, the year thirteen-thirteen of the third age, Hyrule.  
  
Link looked up from the parchment at Mido's sweaty face.  
  
'We must hurry,' he said determinedly, 'to Hyrule Castle. It is a long journey, and we must cut across country if we want to get there before.' Link paused and swallowed. 'We will leave this place; it is no longer safe. It is my guess that the enemy, our unknown murderer, is making its way to the Nine Realms of the Goddesses' Lands, but it will be quicker if we stop at Lon Lon Ranch before the sun sets. There are creatures of the night that will not give mercy to humans.They are always watching us, always hunting us.So we must travel swiftly.'  
  
'Right,' said Mido firmly. 'When do we set out?'  
  
'At first light tomorrow, and no later,' replied Link. He crossed to the stream in the forest and knelt down beside it, gazing at his reflection. 'I need to prepare.There are things I must see to in this dark hour.Things left unsaid.You might need to get ready for this, Mido. It will be a long journey through the depths of this land, and we shall not leave without properly setting things in order here. Our business with the Nine Realms has only just begun, I can feel it.'  
  
And so the hero trekked back to his own small home, to consult the faerie Navi, the wisest in the ways of counsel. She glided around the room a small number of times before speaking to the boy. 'It is apparent that the forces of evil are growing,' she said. 'The dominions grow ever stronger, ever deeper in these dark times. Just as I suspected, when the Ocarina of Time was put safely back in place, evil's forces were only just beginning to gather. Ganon has returned, and he is using someone-or something-to help him with his wicked tasks.'  
  
'But Ganon has perished! I killed him myself! He has fallen into the shadows-'  
  
'There are ways, foolish boy,' said Navi, 'for a Dark Lord to return. Many a way, I can tell you. When Ganon was born, ere I came to you, he was a harmless Gerudo infant boy. Though it was his destiny to rule his own people, no one expected him to turn to the side of dark. It was all very confusing, you see,' she continued. 'I can hardly explain it myself.But we will venture outside of this wretched forest-grave to defeat him. That is all I can say for now, at least for sure.' 


	2. The Beginning

Chapter Two: The Beginning  
  
Link and Mido set out early the next morning, before the creatures of the night could lay a bony hand on them. Slumber had been restless the previous evening; nightmares had plagued the Hero of Time as he enveloped himself within the blankets of sleep. He did not, however, tell Mido about these dreams: it was not a responsible thing to do, and, after all, they involved the fate of the Sacred Realm of the Goddesses as the free peoples of Hyrule knew it. Link kept his tongue and trekked the path a while ahead of Mido as they neared Lon-Lon Ranch.  
  
'We have arrived,' said Link, gazing up at the huge ranch for the nth time. His eyes were alit with wonder and amazement. The ranch was even more grand than he remembered it; a great, looming structure with flags and signs, horses grazing hither and thither in its vast fields. 'How grand a place this is,' the lad muttered beneath his breath.  
  
'Astounding,' said Mido. 'Shall we enter?'  
  
'Yes,' Link said. 'I am sure Malon will give us a noble welcome from her father Talon. They are the owners of Lon-Lon Ranch, of course, and great companions they have been to me over the years of my old adventures in Hyrule.' He let out a sigh. Malon had been his friend, and he hadn't spoken to her in many months. He wondered if she even remembered the great task he had done for the ranch those times ago.Needless to say, he entered the ranch with a proud heart.  
  
'Link! Link! Is that you? Oh, Link, I'm so glad to see you!'  
  
And indeed, Malon came running through the fields to her companion and gave him a grand embrace. She was wearing a bright helm in the light of the sun, made of hay, and the usual farm dress that she had kept since she was a very small girl. Link's face split into a smile as he held close his friend to his chest. For a while they simply stood there, and then Link turned to Mido and said, 'Mido, this is Malon daughter of Talon, keeper of the ranch. She will give us sanctuary for the night.'  
  
'Tell me of your journeys, and what troubles you.' Malon spoke hurriedly but gracefully at the same time as she looked into Link's eyes. 'I have warm ale in the tavern my father has just set up. We can discuss it then.'  
  
'Ale!' shrieked Mido. 'That is forbidden to elves of our sort!'  
  
'But not to ranch folk,' said Malon, and she winked at Link as she turned on her heel and led them into the new tavern that Talon had begun. 


End file.
